About

OUR TEAM

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About

OUR TEAM

Our team strives to ensure a true Midwest, fast-casual dining experience at Magoo’s. Our ingredients are prepped daily, and, by using local products and purveyors from within our community, we strive to provide healthy, “Neighborhood Fresh” ingredients all year round.

Meet Chef William

William Jester comes to Magoo’s with over 26 years experience in the culinary industry.

A chef with diverse, creative talents, William began his career working with Hotelier, JQ Hammons Corporation. Over a 7 year period, he held the positions of Banquet Chef, Sous-Chef and Executive Chef at various hotels in Ft. Smith, Arkansas, Jefferson City, Missouri, and Des Moines, Iowa. He became a master ice sculptor during this time.

Relocating to Dubuque, for his first 3 years, William was employed by Thunder Hills Country Club as its Sous-Chef. He was then hired by the Dubuque Golf & Country Club’s Culinary Department as its Sous- Chef. For 10 years, he worked extensively with its Banquet and Catering areas and also helped manage the main dining room. Over the past 6 years, William was Chef de Cuisine at Champagne, Mystique Casino’s Fine Dining Restaurant, where he fine-tuned his many specialty pasta dishes and his interest in Southern Cuisine. His artistic flair is rivaled by none.

William is famous for his savory Pizza meat toppings at Magoo’s, along with the tasty marinara sauce. As you are in-line, creating your pizza or salad, look for William sporting his talents as our evening Pizza Oven Chef!

William was born and raised in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Meet Susan & Bernie, Owners

‘The Art of French Cooking”’... Susan Farber began her interest in cooking fine cuisine while an undergraduate at Georgetown University. Acting as a sous-chef for her classmate and now, well-known cook book author, Lisa Yockelson, she started learning the basics, from the kitchen to the table, and ever since has aspired to create the most elegant and tasty dishes for friends and family. Living and working eight years in France and Belgium also helped expand Susan’s culinary knowledge.

The inspiration for opening this “Fast Casual” restaurant comes from Susan’s husband, Bernie Saks, who first experienced this type of restaurant while traveling in the Western USA. A chef at heart, Bernie ‘s passion ( after his wife, of course) is cooking. His famed kitchen creations range from a Delicious Tomato Bisque to a Tasty Dijon Parmesan Chicken to a Refreshing Peach Frozen Custard. Magoo’s Cottage Salad is amongst Bernie’s best.

A native Dubuquer, Susan graduated with a BA from Georgetown, earned an MBA from George Washington, and graduated from Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program. She also attended Le Cordon Bleu School in Paris, France.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Bernie graduated with a BA from UC San Diego and earned his Medical Degree from UCLA. He has worked at UC San Francisco, and completed residencies in Radiology at the University of Vermont and Harvard.

Meet Mr. Magoo

The namesake of our restaurant, Mr. Magoo, was born in Grundy Center, Iowa at Century Farm Breeders. He is a fun-loving Cavachon Dog - part King Charles Cavalier Spaniel, part Bichon Frisé. With his dark-eyed inquisitive expression and merry temperament, he is quite the charmer.

Mr. Magoo becomes bright-eyed when his favorite human food, Pizza, is offered as a treat. Not shy, he offers his critique to Chef William on a regular basis. Mr. Magoo is proud of his distinctive pizza creations and most importantly, is delighted to welcome one and all to his new, innovative parlor.